Winning the FA Cup would not be enough to put Manchester City back on their pedestal after the Premier League champions fell by the wayside this season but it would be a nice way to wrap up their domestic campaign, manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday.
City fell behind title rivals Liverpool and Arsenal earlier this season having suffered nine defeats – more losses than in their previous two campaigns combined – while they were knocked out of the Champions League in the knockout phase playoffs.
A six-times league winner as City boss, Guardiola has not had a trophyless campaign since his first year at the club and he expects the team will get back to their best next season.
“The FA Cup win does not give you the certainty to come back to what we were. That is a title, it’s a number. Obviously it would be nice to finish in that way, to take a little break before we go to the (Club) World Cup,” Guardiola told reporters.
“But I will not change… It can happen to all the teams in the world, not just Manchester City. It surprised me in the mid-season, eight years to arrive at that stage. Now we are third in the table.
“There are reasons why we dropped, maybe unexpectedly, too much. I have the feeling that next season will be better. We will compete better. We will be more who we are.”
City play Nottingham Forest in the second semi-final on Sunday at Wembley and Guardiola is targeting a third straight final appearance where they would face either Crystal Palace or Aston Villa.
However, Forest present a difficult proposition with Nuno Espirito Santo’s team also in a top-five battle with City in the league as they seek to secure a Champions League spot and a first FA Cup final in 34 years.
“It would be good to make a third (final), but we have a serious and tough, tough rival,” Guardiola said.
“The Nottingham Forest people and fans, it is a long time since they’ve played the semi-final of the FA Cup, but for many years we have been there in the competition.
“He (Espirito Santo) has been incredible, qualifying for Europa League with Wolves and now with Nottingham Forest. He has done a really good job.”
Guardiola said goalkeeper Ederson was back in training but did not reveal if the Brazilian would return in goal having missed the last two games with an injury.
“I don’t know if he will be ready for this game. Hopefully for the next one,” he said.
